compose

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
13
Words With Friends
16
Letters
7
Pronunciation
/kəmˈpəʊz/
See all 5 pronunciations
/kəmˈpəʊz/ · /kəmˈpoʊz/ · /kəmˈpəʉz/ · [kəmˈpɐʉz] · /kəmˈpɐʉz/

Definition of compose

9 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

verb

  1. (transitive)To make something by merging parts.
    “The editor composed a historical journal from many individual letters.”
    “December 22 1678, Thomas Sprat, A Sermon Preached before the King at White-Hall Zeal ought to be composed of the highest degrees of all pious affection.”
See all 9 definitions

verb

  1. (transitive)To make something by merging parts.
    “The editor composed a historical journal from many individual letters.”
    “December 22 1678, Thomas Sprat, A Sermon Preached before the King at White-Hall Zeal ought to be composed of the highest degrees of all pious affection.”
  2. (transitive)To make up the whole; to constitute.
    “A church is composed of its members.”
    “A few useful things […] compose their intellectual possessions.”
  3. (nonstandard, transitive)To comprise.
  4. (intransitive, transitive)To construct by mental labor; to think up; particularly, to produce or create a literary or musical work.
    “The orator composed his speech over the week prior.”
    “Nine numbered symphonies, including the Fifth, were composed by Beethoven.”
    “It's difficult to compose without absolute silence.”
    “Let me […] compose / Something in Verse as true as Prose.”
    “the genius that composed such works as the "Standard" and "Last Supper"”
  5. (reflexive, sometimes)To calm; to free from agitation.
    “Try to compose your thoughts.”
    “The defendant couldn't compose herself and was found in contempt.”
    “Compose thy mind; / Nor frauds are here contrived, nor force designed.”
  6. To arrange the elements of a photograph or other picture.
  7. To settle (an argument, dispute etc.); to come to a settlement.
    “By trying his best to compose matters with the mullahs, he had sincerely shown that he did not seek a violent collision […]”
  8. To arrange in proper form; to reduce to order; to put in proper state or condition.
    “In a peaceful grave my corpse compose.”
    “How in safety best we may / Compose our present evils.”
  9. (dated)To arrange (types) in a composing stick for printing; to typeset.

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Middle English composen, from Old French composer (“to compose, compound, adjust, settle”), from com- + poser, as an adaptation of Latin componere (“to put together, compose”), from com- (“together”) + ponere (“to put, place”).

Hooks

3 extensions · 3 back

A single letter you can add to compose to make another valid word.

Find your best play with compose

See every word you can make from a set of letters that includes compose, or browse word lists you can mine for high-scoring plays.